Why could a hard Brexit tear up five million plane tickets?

Airlines do not want to say it. The International Air Transport Association will therefore: up to five million canceled tickets in the case of a difficult Brexit.

The temperature reports that London and Brussels have agreed that in case of Brexit without agreement, the number of flights between the United Kingdom and the mainland would be capped at that of last year. This would mean that carriers may have to cancel thousands of flights, causing ticket prices to rise and many holidays in ruins. IATA has booked five million seats on additional flights between the United Kingdom and Europe likely to be affected, many of them scheduled for the peak summer season.

"That the current flight levels are protected even with a difficult Brexit is an important guarantee. Two months before the departure of Britain, airlines still do not know what kind of Brexit they should plan, said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA CEO and CEO, in a statement. "And there is legal and commercial uncertainty about how the Commission's plan to limit the number of flights will work."

Prime Minister Theresa May is trying to convince the UK Parliament to agree to Brexit before March 29th. If it is not approved, the Brussels intervention plan will enter into force. According to Politico, British airlines would lose the right to operate intra-European flights.

The temperature British Airways, Easyjet, Ryanair and Jet2 have all extended their European routes this year, but none have so far informed pbadengers of the potential implications of a difficult Brexit. Only the Hungarian airline Wizz Air has warned British travelers against the regulation, which would also require British travelers to keep at least six months on their pbadport to travel to EU countries, although they do not need a visa. In the case of a difficult Brexit, pbadengers would be reimbursed the cost of canceled flights, but they would be alone to compete for new places.

Peter Bellew, Ryanair's chief operating officer, said this weekend he did not expect Brexit to cause an overnight stop. Irish Times reports. Earlier, airline general manager Michael O'Leary had warned that flights would be stranded for weeks after a tough Brexit, but Bellew said Ryanair had created subsidiaries specifically to avoid this problem.

Gate Gourmet, the global leader in airline catering in Switzerland, has started stocking meals, snacks, toilet paper and cutlery in its UK warehouses, reports Bloomberg. The company's goal is to have 10 days of stock to deal with Brexit-related disruptions.

"In the small window that remains before Brexit, it is imperative that the EU and the UK give priority to finding a solution providing certainty to the airlines planning their growth to meet on demand and for travelers who plan business trips and family vacations, "said Juniac.